Here Now & Just Back - A Place To Share Your Recent Experiences

[a1tinkfans]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Great report. Makes me want to go less and sadly that's what I need right now. The less I miss it the less I will miss it.

 

[yulilin3]

Just back from MK, I was there for CM, AP preview and last Monday, can tell you that it is definitely busier but still very, very manageable. Walked in at around 8:50am, did PP, Pooh, Indy Speedway and Buzz with no wait. Later did Haunted Mansion no wait, Jungle Cruise 10 min wait around 11:30am and SM no wait around 1:30pm Ate at Skippers Canteen very good food and nice social distancing.
We saw plenty of CM making sure people were wearing their masks, even saw 5 instances where CM came to tell people to pull their mask back on when they were taking a photo on their own
Left at 2:30pm and NO ONE was walking in

 

[soniam]

It seems they are cleaning rides about every 2 hours. We hit cleaning at Kali and Everest about 10am today. If you can time stuff, it might help. We noticed this a little at the other parks too.

Anyone staying at/stayed at Boardwalk or Beach Club who can comment on the walkways to DHS? Are they blocking off the walkways in the mornings/have security stationed in the area, or are you free to make your way over there as early as you would like (i.e. before cars are let into parking lots)? Thanks!

We were never stopped and left the room at BWV as early as 9am. They had some signs up for a while saying the walkway was closed, but I think someone just forgot to remove them for a few days after DHS opened. They line people up out front, if they haven’t let people in yet. The time they let people in is all over the place. Opening day, they were already in by 9:30. Another day, they didn’t let us in until between 9:30-9:45. Monday, yesterday, we walked in about 9:15-9:30 and were off MMRR way before 10am. We were in line for SDD getting out ROTR BG.

They do block the walkway to BC from Epcot. We had to enter the building from the side and walk through the hotel to get to Beaches & Cream. It’s blocked at SAB.

 

[Insomniacat]

For those that went and flew in : what was your experience at the airport?
It looks like Disney and Disney property is doing what they can but I wonder about everything else.

 

[LovingPooh]

We will be arriving this weekend for a Sunday - Sat trip.

Any tips you can share at this point? We are DVC/AP for the past 10 years, but due to some family weddings last year, have not been there in over a year...

We are DVC and AP as well. Be prepared for it being hot. But tolerable. We made dining reservations everyday to have an enjoyable relaxing meal. Drink plenty of water. We brought in frozen bottles that thaw throughout the day. We felt better at Disney than we do at home now. Only about 20% of people where I live wear masks out in public. Really missing Disney right now. Hope you have a wonderful vacation. Enjoy! You will love the low crowds and walk onto rides.

 

[dark54555]

For those that went and flew in : what was your experience at the airport?
It looks like Disney and Disney property is doing what they can but I wonder about everything else.

We flew Southwest. Flight to MCO was nearly empty. Everyone had masks on the whole time.

Return flight was fuller but still less than a full 2/3 capacity. Flight attendants were enforcing the mask policy (though I saw one tweenage child not complying while waiting to deplane a few rows away). Airports themselves were also sparsely populated, though I was surprised to see a few off duty TSA agents not wearing masks from a distance when we left.

 

[Insomniacat]

We flew Southwest. Flight to MCO was nearly empty. Everyone had masks on the whole time.

Return flight was fuller but still less than a full 2/3 capacity. Flight attendants were enforcing the mask policy (though I saw one tweenage child not complying while waiting to deplane a few rows away). Airports themselves were also sparsely populated, though I was surprised to see a few off duty TSA agents not wearing masks from a distance when we left.

Thank you! We would be using SW also so thank you for that.

 

[disneyfan150]

For those that went and flew in : what was your experience at the airport?
It looks like Disney and Disney property is doing what they can but I wonder about everything else.

I flew into MCO to make a connection (weird place for a connection BTW) via Southwest. The airport was not very crowded when I was there. Not everyone was wearing a mask correctly, but you could easily social distance away. Most of my Southwest flights were low capacity. The middle seat was always empty with the exception of parties flying together. My sister flew AA, and the flights were packed. I also had a connection in Nashville. That airport had me a little nervous.

 

[Insomniacat]

Thank you disneyfan. I am thinking about Feb 2021 , wonder what it will be like then.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Great trip report. I was at POP almost the exact same time and really had fun. We happened to be in room whenever they knocked to enter for
“ safety check”.... still can’t figure out why he flushed the toilet .
I think they should focus on safety inspections with rooms that have a view from window or balcony that could be a danger but most rooms don’t offer that worry or threat.Maybe I don’t want to know what they have found to keep this up. Must be important.
My other pet peeve is guests that throw their trashy pizza boxes and food containers outside door to sit for the whole night. The trash containers are so close in most cases. I worried about bugs all night long cause at POP that pull down bed is pretty close to door And neighbor! Haha. People do this at really nice Hilton’s too , etc and others. At least Disney seems to monitor for this better than the fancy hotels.

youmention leaving HS .... can’t help cause it is confusing.
Thought you might want to know , one of the few areas that continued construction work during closure was a hill built to cover the view of new Star Wars Hotel where the old exit road was. I live in Celebration and did lots of drive arounds ... they kept building it higher with more soil and then covered it with fast growing Disney grass .
Still can’t figure out what the hugely huge mound of soil in middle of MK parking lot is . I know they are replaceing sewer lines or whatever big time . Maybe the MK needed it and it was a good time to get that done.
The only other construction on property that continued was the COVE new Swan Dolphin Hotel from Loews property and the fancy new McDonalds near All Stars. Warning this location is fancy and Disney priced. They do not have $1 beverage fountain drinks. 2 minutes away is a fairly new McDs in Celebration so the exact same orders was $8 difference!

 

[mrg013]

For those that went and flew in : what was your experience at the airport?
It looks like Disney and Disney property is doing what they can but I wonder about everything else.

We flew into and out of MCO this weekend, and it felt fine when we arrived at MCO. Since we weren't looking to spend any time there, we just went straight to the monorail to the main terminal building, went down and collected our luggage at baggage claim, and left. We waited to use bathrooms further away from the gate so that we could find ones that would be less crowded, and we thought everyone did a good job of distancing themselves on the monorail. At baggage claim, some people felt the need to cluster right near the spot where the bags came out, but we just walked further down the belt to a spot where we could have space.

On the way home, it was another story. The check-in desk was mobbed (we were on American) and it was impossible to be in the bag drop line without clustering near other people the way it was set up (I was really missing the social distancing markers from WDW). We saw a lot of mask non-compliance while we were in the airport waiting for our flight, and that included passengers, TSA, other airport workers, and flight crews even, which was disappointing. It wasn't necessarily that people didn't have a mask at all, but there were a lot of uncovered noses and masks as chin guards. When we went to a store to buy a bottle of water, people were tightly clustered by the checkout counter, totally ignoring social distancing markers on the ground. We ultimately just found a more empty gate area and waited there until it was time to board our flight so that we could stay away from other people. I also think we reacted to the situation more on the way home because we had just been at WDW, where guests were really good about mask wearing and Disney had done such a thoughtful job with everything.

At least right now, I think Southwest is a better bet than some of the other airlines. I know Southwest and Delta are still blocking middle seats on all flights. Both of our flights on American were totally packed with all seats taken. The flight attendants did what they could to enforce the mask requirement, but I definitely still saw some people trying to skirt the rule during the flight, and I would have felt more comfortable if there was more empty space in general.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

This will probably be a TLDR report, apologies in advance, but maybe it is helpful for some.

Just back from some time at WDW. Like many here our plans had waffled all over for several months with resort uncertainty, park uncertainty, travel uncertainty, virus uncertainty, etc. I can't say I was necessarily in the "going no matter what" camp given everything going on, but the preview and reopening dates and resort movements ended up falling into place with something that worked for us.

We all have our individual perspectives on this and that's OK. I'd be lying if I said it was easy to shake the "is this the right thing" thinking from at least some part of my psyche at times. But I also feel we (the general we) need to find ways to go about some elements of commerce, leisure, and life in general in cautious, safe, respectful, and appropriate ways, so honestly I guess I fall somewhere in the middle about how to approach our decisions right now. Personal responsibility supplemented with businesses that create safer situations with their product generally feel like a good recipe right now, for me. Obviously a highly personal perspective.

But anyway, here are my thoughts, in no particular order:

1) My overall impression of being in the parks was quite favorable. Crowds at MK and Epcot were generally very low, DAK seemed unsustainably low, which was a bit sad. I will get flamed off this board for saying this, but one day at MK I caught myself thinking "I'd pay double for this experience." Ok, a bit of hyperbole there, but I did have that passing thought.

2) I stayed at MK twice until after closing and the experience felt just like after a DAH event to me. For DAH, oftentimes the park feels very empty throughout but then at the end as people head out Main Street looks more crowded and you're like "where did all these people come from." MK (and all the parks) can really absorb a lot of people. Had a bit of resort boat and monorail transportation delays leaving both of those evenings, but nothing crazy. But again, very low crowds.

3) DHS was the most crowded park in my experience. I didn't feel unsafe being there, but it was maybe borderline at times. Just more people around, in walkways, etc. I liked the other parks better in this regard. While I won't sit here and say you should skip DHS as there are certainly times later day when it's really nice, we probably would skip it if given the choice.

4) Overall it's so easy to zag when others zig that even when you come across situations where you might be uncomfortable, you can usually adjust and move on.

5) I could nitpick various mask situations, but they were by far the very small minority of experiences. Overall I felt the large majority of guests knew the rules, knew what needed to be done, and were sticking to the rules. Almost every no mask or chin mask situation I saw was outside, around the resort walkways, etc. One time a guy in line in front of me at the Pirates gift shop had it down below his nose. I opted to move on, pretty simple to adjust.

6) I personally do not expect Disney to be the ever-present mask enforcer or surface cleaner and think that is an unrealistic expectation to put on any place of business. WDW is not a Utopian bubble that you enter and everything is COVID perfect. Yes there are new rules which apply to all, but 100% compliance is a really high standard for any place that attracts thousands of people (IMO) - and I thought Disney did an admirable job creating an environment which inspired buy-in from its guests and select enforcement when needed. That said, stay long enough and you will run into situations where someone drops their mask, situations where someone walks by you closer than 6 feet, situations where there's a big line for a bus, the need to touch something someone else has touched, or other countless situations which may raise your brow a bit. I personally have some level of tolerance on these things within reason, others may not. It will be a highly personal experience.

7) I was really proud of my kids (10 and 5) and masks. We had big questions about the 5 year old (so much so she and DW didn't come for the first part of our trip), but on property she was a total champ! Our biggest worry became our least. It really helped that my DW had made patterned/coordinated masks and had spent a ton of time working with her on ones that really fit well - that was key.

8) We're not usually character peeps, but I thought the mini-parades/showcases at the parks were really awesome - probably saw more characters than we had in years! The Epcot short character drives around World Showcase felt a little silly and out of place (man they crank up the music when they go by), but everywhere else was on theme and really appreciated. Would love to see the DAK music boats continue in some form long term, that really fits that park.

9) We usually fly to WDW but I was happy to drive this time. We were 50/50 bus and car. I appreciated having options. While I have some tolerance for it, I'm less OK with enclosed places like transportation, generally speaking, so the car was appreciated.

10) Side note, on the drive to WDW I had packed a cooler, drinks, food and only made stops at rest stops - which are generally quick in/out with larger restrooms. I didn't properly pack on the way home so had to stop for meals, gas, etc. The most unsafe feeling I've had in two weeks was at the Love's Travel Stop in Lake City, FL. Going back to the real world and different rules, behaviors takes some getting used to.

11) Given the resort rescheduling craziness we ended up with stays at BLT, Poly, and one night at WL - since this is a theme parks board I'll spare the details but happy to answer any questions. In the past I have been staunchly anti cooking/cleaning at WDW and have never stayed in a DVC/Villa - but not going to lie, having a kitchen and quick access to washer/dryer in the current situation was really nice. We ordered from Garden Grocer with no issues and it was nice having a few food items around to cut down on times we needed to mobile order or eat out.

12) I will note that the new park hours create a few ripple effects at the pools, generally speaking. Poly, for example, has a rather small feature pool/deck and at times it was pretty crowded (may be too crowded for some folks) and other times where it was pretty darn empty. Really erratic though. Mobile ordering would sometimes take minutes, and sometimes take a really long time. Pool bars were sometimes deserted and sometimes had long lines. Staffing is pretty thin in some areas and heavy in others. I suspect reopening growing pains with staffing levels, call outs, etc. Will be interesting to watch as more of the resorts fully reopen over time.

13) CMs really made this trip excellent for us - I saw moments of Disney magic and charm that are perhaps overlooked under normal circumstances. The slower pace of the parks and resorts allows opportunities to really take things in, have a more in depth chat with someone, take 20 posed PhotoPass shots with no one in line, or whatever strikes your fancy. With some exceptions, I sensed an overwhelming "glad to be back" spirit around the parks.

14) I do hesitate to be overwhelmingly positive/pixie dust about our experience - there are serious things to consider when deciding to come to a place like a theme park that shouldn’t really be taken lightly (my opinion) - but the reality was that for frequent visitors like us the WDW experience right now was a good one. I was (and am) pretty grumbly about the hours, shows, etc, but I get that's not possible now and we adjusted with little issue. Not getting the 'full' experience is going to make the value equation very tough for some, no doubt. If it weren't for already purchased APs, not sure how I'd feel about all of this.

15) My main questions going forward are guest demand and experience sustainability. I will be very curious to see how things evolve over time. I did feel like things in general around the parks and resorts were picking up slowly by the day, especially around the weekends.

16) Absolutely loved the temp check and security procedures - entering the parks with many of the new entrances (eg, DAK and MK) was a total breeze. Almost felt like WDW was over-staffed at these locations at times.

Happy to answer any questions, sorry for being long-winded.

 

[tvsdisney]

From day one I've been able to visit resorts by parking at DS and taking a resort bus, no issue. The problem is when you try and park at that resort.

Resorts minus the GF will allow you to park if you are staying in property.

 

[yulilin3]

Resorts minus the GF will allow you to park if you are staying in property.

Not at the moment. Also I'm a local so I don't stay on site

 

[wallskm]

This may have been asked and answered already, but do they make you wear a mask while riding RnR? At that speed, I don't see how that's even feasible. And on other rides, like Slinky Dog, you risk having it fly off your face.

Late reply on this...mine has stayed on on everything except RnR...but I think it was that particular mask and the way I had it tied (it has ties instead of elastic). It didn’t fly off or anything but fell down below my mouth and wouldn’t stay up. My sons and husband had no issue even on RnR. I haven’t had issues on any other ride and I think if it had been tied better I would have probably been fine.

 

[GetMeOnSpaceMtn]

For those that went and flew in : what was your experience at the airport?
It looks like Disney and Disney property is doing what they can but I wonder about everything else.

we flew Delta from Detroit. Plane is usually always packed. Row in front was empty both ways, row behind had one person in it each time. When we flew into MCO it seems like there was a ton of people in the terminal but that was a lot based on timing of getting in at 12pm. Almost all the people in the airport had masks on. We noticed some workers at the airport wearing them as chinstraps and we made sure we avoided those people. We waited an extra tram to the terminal to allow it to clear out a bit. Flew home this morning. Airport was empty when we got in because there were so flew departing flights and magical express dropped us off 2 hours before our flight at 12:30. It ended up being nice because we were able to get through security without being in a crowd.

 

[mak'smom]

Anyone staying at/stayed at Boardwalk or Beach Club who can comment on the walkways to DHS? Are they blocking off the walkways in the mornings/have security stationed in the area, or are you free to make your way over there as early as you would like (i.e. before cars are let into parking lots)? Thanks!

At Boardwalk now. Walked to HS yesterday. Walkways were not blocked. We got to the enterance about 9:10 second in line for temperature check, they opened the park at 9:15.

 

[pepperandchips]

Awesome write up @GADisneyDad14! Looking forward to trying the parks (we hope) next month.

For any others afraid of GaDad’s Love’s episode, and traveling on I-75 to Florida, we drive 90% of the time and I recommend exit 18 in Valdosta, GA. There’s Starbucks, nearly every fast food chain, and a (recently rebranded) Circle K with astonishingly clean restrooms and competitive gas prices. Of course if you can pack a cooler and an astronaut diaper that’s even better

 

[disneyfan150]

Thank you disneyfan. I am thinking about Feb 2021 , wonder what it will be like then.

I agree. If you are nervous, you may want to wait as long as possible to make a reservation. Just keep your eye on air fares and Covid numbers. I have been flying Southwest lately because it is so easy to make changes when needed - and I have needed to make many changes. I have actually flown SW three times in the last three months. I rarely fly, so it is a very strange time to be a "frequent flyer" all of a sudden. But my Dad passed away, my sister got married, and DD and I went a little crazy and took off to Universal on a whim. With each flight, things seem to be more crowded. In May, places and planes were so strangely quiet as most of the country was still shut down. But even then, my sister's American flight was full. I have never really been much of a fan of Southwest b/c I really dislike the unknown factor of no seat assignment. But, I have to say, they have done a great job. We are flying to Disney in a less than two weeks. So this will be my third time at MCO (including the Universal trip and the strange connecting flight a couple weeks ago). The airport was totally empty in early June. There were many more folks in July. We passed through the airport during the AP and CM previews. Now that Disney is open, we'll see what happens.